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1
Preheat the oven to 350F (175C).
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2
Butter the bottom and sides of two 9-inch (23-cm) round cake pans and line the bottoms with circles of parchment paper.
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3
To make the cake, in a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, 1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon, the baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
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4
In a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment (or in a bowl by hand), beat together the 1 cup (8 ounces/230 g) butter and 1 1/2 cups (300 g) sugar on medium speed until light and fluffy, 3 to 5 minutes.
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5
Add the vanilla and instant espresso or coffee powder, then beat in the eggs one at a time, mixing until completely incorporated.
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6
Mix in half of the flour mixture, followed by the buttermilk and banana puree.
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Stir in the remaining flour mixture, then stir in the pecans or walnuts just until combined.
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Dont overmix.
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9
Divide the batter evenly among the 2 prepared pans.
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Bake until golden brown and a toothpick inserted into the center of the cakes comes out clean, about 40 minutes.
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Remove from the oven and let cool completely.
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To prepare the peanuts, in a medium heavy-bottomed skillet over medium heat, combine the peanuts, 1/2 cup (100 g) sugar, and the water.
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13
When the sugar begins to liquefy, begin stirring.
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Continue cooking, stirring frequently, until the sugar crystallizes.
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15
Decrease the heat to medium-low and continue to cook, stirring, letting the crystallized sugar on the bottom melt and brown slightly.
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Then, use a heatproof spatula to scrape up the liquefied sugar and continuously coat the peanuts with it, tilting the pan to help the sugar coat the nuts evenly.
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Once the peanuts are a bit glossy and coated with syrup (there will be some sugary crystals on them still, which is normal), sprinkle the sea salt and 1/8 teaspoon cinnamon over them.
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Stir the peanuts a couple of times, then scrape the candied peanuts onto a baking sheet and let cool completely.
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19
To make the frosting, combine the chocolate and coffee in a medium heatproof bowl set over a pan of simmering water, stirring occasionally until the chocolate is melted and the mixture is smooth.
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20
Remove the bowl from the heat and whisk in the 10 tablespoons (5 ounces/140 g) butter until combined.
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21
To assemble the cake, run a knife around the sides of the cakes to help them loosen from the pans.
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22
Invert one cake onto a serving plate and peel off the parchment.
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23
Spread about 3/4 cup (180 ml) of the mocha frosting over the surface of the cake.
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Invert the second cake layer out of its pan, peel off the parchment, and place it over the frosted cake layer.
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Spread the remaining frosting evenly over the top and sides of the cake.
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26
Coarsely chop 1 cup (100 g) of the candied peanuts and sprinkle them over the top of the cake.
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27
The cake will keep for up to 3 days, at room temperature.
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28
Because of its height, the cake is best stored under a cake dome.
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29
If youre serving the cake to kids, you can replace the coffee in the frosting with water or decaffeinated coffee.
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30
If you cant find raw peanuts (I buy them in Asian markets), you can use unsalted roasted peanuts that arent too darkly roasted.
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31
You can also replace the peanuts with raw almonds.
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32
The recipe makes more candied peanuts than youll need for the cakeleftovers are great sprinkled over ice cream or just eaten out of hand.
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33
If you wish, you can use 1 cup store-bought honey-roasted peanuts in lieu of making your own salted candied peanuts.
